Transmission of mechanical energy



ug- 1941- F. M. M. B. SALOMON 2,252,815

TRANSMISSION OF MECHANICAL ENERGY Filed Aug.. 6, 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 v l [I \NVENTO'R F, MQMB. SALOMON a ATTVS,

7 g- 1941- F. M. M. B.- SALOMON 2,252,815

TRANSMISSION OF MECHANICAL ENERGY Filed Aug. 6, 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVEN TOR F. M. 5. SA LOMOA/ M, WYWM ATTYS Aug' 1941- F. M. M. B. sALbMoN 2,252,815

TRANSMISSION OF MECHANICAL ENERGY Filed Aug. 6, 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 III i m 64 I INVENTOR FTM.M.B. SALOMON Patented Aug. 19, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1' Transmission or mncnmcar. KNEE?! Francois Marl; Michel Bernard Salomon, I

Applicationinugust e. 1937, Serial No.157,'l80

I In France February 28, 1038 I 'It is a known fact that a certain class of mechanisms for the transmission of mechanical energy Y are now in use which are chiefly employed as speed-changing devices (or torque transformers) ofthe continuous tyne. in which no kinematicor positive connections are employed between the driving shaft and the driven shaft. I have described an apparatus of this type in my German Patent No. 418,559.

In this class of mechanism, the action which takes, place between the driving and,.the driven shaft is notof a kinematic nature, but is in fact 5 Claims. (01. 84-64) I ent invention, to eliminate theaforesald drawbacks by making this selection by entirely novel means, and in the following manner;

A first device,

of the first above-mentioned class with a second device which has a direct or an indirect relation to the driven shaft. In the absence ofa selectdynamic. For this purpose, reactions take place between the parts which have a direct or an indirect connection with the driven shaft, and such reactions may be obtained by the use of springs orof centrifugal forces-or of forces 'of inertia, from any desired .source. I

A certain number of mechanisms of this class, which in fact serve only as clutches, have been proposed erroneously, as speed-changing devices,

by devices which in their various forms (free I wheels, etc.) are reduced to ratchet devices,

by which only the impulses in the proposer direction will be transmitted, and thus, in fact, the impulses will be rectified.

However, it has been found that the ratchet devices (or loose wheels) have the greatest drawbacks in practice, as the total power to be transmitted-must pass through such devices, and at very high frequencies, which are often equal to the rate of rotation of the driving shaft.

It is at this frequency-for instance 50 times per second-thatthe ratchet device serves to successively couple and uncouple two parts. This causes great difliculties in the construction, as

well as a rapid wear and a reduced output. For this reason, such speed-changing devices have not come into extensive use.

A careful study of this question leads to the conclusion that for theoretical as well as practical reasons, it is impossible to eliminate any of the parts engaged in a selection of the impulses,

but that it is feasible, in conformity to the prestend to substitute for first above-mentioned class a combination of the in consideration.

device" and the -.controlling device" what may be termed the distributer, and the ing device, it has been shown by the experience of a great number of inventors as well as by theory itself, that when thus constructing an actual speed-changing device and not merely a clutch, the impulses which are brought upon the driven shaft by the mutual reactions. of the two devices will be alternately positive and negative,

and that their total resultant will be null.

According to the present invention, shortly.

before the time when a. negative impulse is to follow a positive impulse, a device which will hereinafter be designated as a directing device," will the combination of the second above-mentioned class between the parts thus inverting the value of the resulting impulse. When the impulse which is produced after this substitution is in turn, about to become negative,

the second class by a class, and so on. A given combination 'of the first further explanation will be stitution of one combination for another."

As a rule, use will be made, accordingto the invention, in addition to the directing device of a device termed controlling device, which in some cases may be reduced to a spring or like elastic member having a suitable position, whose function is only to allow the substitution of one combination for another at the times when this will offer no prejudice, and for instance when it will not exercise any practical force upon the said "directing device in this connection.

The assemblage consisting of the "directing word distribution, gines, will be applied vice.

by analogy with heat ento the function of this de- In this manner, according to the invention, the i I selection "is necessary to show the is replaced by the "distribution. It

between these two operations.

a In the selection (by ratchets) two parts, which are usually two concentric ccnnected'together for a certain time and are which has a direct or an indirect relation to the driving shaft, is in a combination I the directing device tends to replace the combination of accompanied by actual examples, of what is understood by "subwill form fundamental difference I shafts, are alternately then disconnected. Thus the degree of liberty of the assemblage consisting of the two shafts will pass constantly and alternately from two to one and from one to two. In other words when the two shafts are connected they are capable of relative rotation in only one direction and when not connected they are capable of relative rotation in two directions; this will necessarily produce shocks in the transmission.

On the contrary, in the distribution, there is never any degree of liberty, as there is never a kinematic connection. This will afford an extraordinary ease of running and a most progressive action. I

The invention further comprises the particularly simple formation of the above mentioned "combinations, which serve to produce, without kinematic connection and by purely dynamic means, the pulsatory transmission of the energy,

and this formation provides for a particularly simple 'use of the principle of distribution above mentioned. a

In particular, the forces which give rise to the mutual reactions of the combined parts can'be obtained from springs or they can be produced by centrifugal forces or forces of inertia, from any source, or by any other known means.

As widelyvarying forms, such as those of cams with multiple surfaces, or cam-shaped members. One combination can be substituted for another by a great variety of means, for instance by a relative movement of translation or a. relative rotation of the two combined parts, of which examples will be given below. This will bring into use different portions of the cam surfaces which have an active eifect.

A distinction should be made between the case in which the driving shaft and the driven shaft are in line with each other, and the case in which they are not.

In the first case, it is not possible to exert upon the drivenshaft a torque which differs from the driving torque without producing a reaction couple bearing upon the machine frame. Among the parts employed' in combination, as above mentioned, it will thus be necessary, according t the invention,'that at least one part shall On the contrary, in the case in which the driving shaft and the driven shaft are not in line,

it will not be necessary to use a reaction part,

and the action of the distributer will only be exerted upon the combination of a part which has a direct or indirect relation to the driven shaft, in order to modify it periodically.

In practice, in order to obtain a total action upon the driving shaft which is as regular as possible, it is not desirable, as a rule, to use only a single combination of parts subjected to the action of the distributer, but to use a certain number of such combinations which are displaced in phase.

In all cases, the driving shaft and the driven shaft can be changed about, in principle.

The apparatus according to the invention areto the combined parts, these may have and may chiefly be employed for motor vehicles. In this latter case. in particular, they canbe substituted not only for the speed-changing mechanism, but also for the clutch. The speedchanging lever and the clutch pedal can thus be replaced-in all cases in which there is no automatic actionby a single device acting upon the distributer" either to modify the phases of the distribution, or to modify the extent of themovements of the distributer. The reverse motion of the vehicle can be obtained simply by reversing the distribution.

A certain number of constructional forms of the apparatus in conformity to the invention are shown by way of example in the accompanying D drawings.

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic cross-section of the principal parts of a modified construction of the apparatus.

Fig. '7 is a lengthwise section of the modification shown in Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is transverse view of another constructional form of the mechanism. s

Fig. 9 is a lengthwise section of the construction shown in Fig. 8.

The embodiment shown in Figs. 1 to 5 cornprises a driving shaft 20 which is mounted in a fixed bearing 2| and carries at its end a cylinder 22 containing two pistons 23 and 24 which form adapted for a. great variety of industrial'uses,

respectively the forks 25 and 26 for the rollers 21 and 23.

The pistons 23 and 24 are urged outwardly by respective springs 29 and 3|, whose rear ends bear upon a partition 32 situated at the middle of the cylinder 22.

The apparatus comprises a secondary or driven shaft 33, which is mounted in a fixed bearing 34 and carries at one end a fork 35 whose arms carry the respective Journals 36 and 31 supporting a cam-shaped member 38 having a hollow form. The rollers 21 and 23 are adapted to roll in the interior of this member 38.

The shafts 20 and 33 are parallel to each other, but arenot in line, as is clearly shown in Fig. 1.

As indicated in section, in Fig. 1, the canishaped member 3a comprises a cam surface.

whose outline consists of an are A I B whose centre of curvature is not located on the axis of the driven shaft 33, an arc B B corresponding to a hemispherical cap, followed by an are E A which is concentric with the driven shaft 33 and corresponds for instance to a part of a cylinder, and lastly an arc A A corresponding to a hemiassphere cap whose centre is located on the shaft The second surface of the cam-shaped member 23 has the same outline as the preceding, but as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the part A1 B1 of the second cam surface is adjacent the part A B of the first surface, and inversely.

On the contrary, the concentric portions A; A1 and Bi B1 correspond to the same hemispherical caps which contain the are A A and B B of the first-mentioned surface of the cam.

It should be noted that in the concentric parts Bf A' and Bi A'i, the surfaces of the cams are limited on each side by two ribs 39 which strictly ratus is as follows.

' will be readily around .the fixed cam 8|,

confine the roller 21 or '28 passing through this portion, thus 38 from turning upon its journals as long as the roller is here situated.

Th journal 38 of the member 38 carries, beyond the fork 38, a lever 4! to which is pivoted a second lever 42 which is urged away from the lever by a spring 43, which is subject to compression. I

On the other hand, the pair of levers 4| and 42 is urged by a spring 44, operatingby traction, in a direction such that the lever 42 will be in permanent contact with a cam 48 whose shaft 48 is mounted on a disc 41 which is secured to the fork 38 and to the driven shaft 33.

The shaft 46 of the cam 48 is connected by bevel gears 48 to a lever 49 which is constantly pressed by a I a cam 8| which is stationary and is secured, for

instance, to the bearing 34 of theshaft 33.

The operation of the above-mentioned appa- Let it be supposed that the parts have the position shown in Fig. 1, and that the driving shaft 20 the arrow F. The roller 21 which is driven out by the spring 28 will make contact with the curved part I B and will tend to rotate the member 38, and with it the driven shaft 33, in the contrary direction to the arrow F. However, it observed that when the roller 21 is located upon the part A I of the cam surface, it will tend to rotate the member 38 and the shaft 33 in the direction of the arrow F, with a greater force, as at this time the spring 28 is much more compressed. These progressive differences of the compression of the spring 28 are due to the fact that in the stated position. the are 'A I is nearer the driving shaft 20 than the arc I B. Hence the total impulse upon the member 38 and the driven shaft 33 will be the sum of the successive impulses, and it thus takes the direction of the arrow F. But it will be observed that if the member 38 yields to this total impulse, by its inertia, the line M; of the cam surface will soon intersect the geometrical axis of the driving shaft 20, and the total impulse would now be reversed, so that the member 38 would no longer be driven in the direction of F.

suitable spring (not shown) against is rotated in the direction of preventing the cam-shaped member In order to avoid such an occurrence, another cam surface is substituted for the one that has just been covered, and as'there are two operating rollers 21 and 2 stitutions for each revolution of the member 38 and of the shaft 33.

The said periodic substitutions are efl'ected by the controlling device, which comprises the parts 4| to.8l. In fact, the lever 48, when turning will pivot about, thus turning the cam 48. This latter will periodically drive out the lever 42 and also the lever 4|, by means of the spring 43, and thus the member 38 will be turned upon its journals 38 and 31 in order to substitute another cam surface for the first, on the path of the rollers 21 and 28. K

This substitution can be readily effected, provided it takes place at the proper time; this is what occurs when the rollers 21 and 28 are situated, as shown in Fig. 4, on the arcs A A and B B whose centre is situated on the axis of the shaft 33 and also on the axis .of the journals 38 and 31.

In order that the substitution of one roller race for another shall take place at the proper time, the mechanism comprises a controlling device itis necessary to make two subsurface, which prevent the member 38 'trifugal force time has arrived. ,7

The said controlling device consists of the ribs 38 associated with the portion B! A of the cam which holds the member 38 before the proper in: when a roller 21 or 28 is situated between the said ribs.

When the member 38 be of little importance that the cam 48 shall act, or not, upon the lever 42, for the only effect in this case. will be the compression of the spring 43. 1 It is only when the roller 21 or 28 leaves the portion B A of the cam surface, that the pivoting movement of the member 38 will take place.

After this substitution, the parts have the position shown in Fig. 5, and the roller 21 or 28 which acts upon the succeeding surface of the cam will actuate the member 38 and the shaft 33 in the direction of the arrow F, and the movement continuesin this manner; the shafts 28 and 23 will rotate in the same direction but at different speeda'if the driving torque and the-load torque' are not equal.

The inertia of the assemblage of the rotating masses ensures the continuous rotation of the driven shaft 38. On the other hand, it is possithe driving shaft 20 and certain number of devices which resemble the one above described but which have an angular spacing, in a manner similar to that of the pistons of a multicylinder engine.

thus obtaining a great regularity for the speed of the driven shaft 33. v I

In the apparatus above described, the driven forces are supplied by the springs 23 and 3|, but it is evident that in order to produce these driving forces, use may be made of other arrangements, for instance the centrifugalor gyroscopic forces of inertia alone or with electric or magnetic forces.

As shown in Figs. 1 to 4, the shafts 28 and 33 are not in line, and it is this displacement which produces the reaction torque providing forthe transmission of the mechanical power with a driving torque which differs from the load torque. It is an easy matter to adopt the present apparatus to the case in which it isnecessary that the driving and driven shafts be in alignment.

One solution of this problem is given by the modification shown in Figs. 6 and 7, in which thedriving shaft 82 and the driven .shaft 83 are now placed in alignment.

At the end of the shaft 82 is mounted an excentric crank arm 84 to which is pivoted a double fork 88 adapted-to drive in radial guides the balls 88 and 81 whose positions are displaced with reference to the shaft 82. No spring is used to act upon these balls, and they are free to move radially in their which is exerted upon them during their rotation.-

The ball 88 rolls upon a camsurface formed in a bowl shaped member 88 which is mounted on the driven shaft 82. The ball 81 rolls-upon one or the other' cam surfaces formed in a camshaped member 88 comprising spherical and non-- which is under the action of a controlling device of the same nature.

from turnis thusheld fast, it will or combined, with springs.

guides by the action of the cen-' pivoted on its Journals As the member 68 is connected to the frame by bearings 6| it is this member that produces the suitable reaction torque.

Fig. 6 shows the outlines of the respective cam surfaces of the bowl-shaped member 68 and of the cam-shaped member 66, and by considerations analogous to what has been set forth with reference to the first embodiment, it is shown that the rotation of the driving shaft 62 causes the rotation of thedriven shaft 62, by

the action of the centrifugal force of inertia exercised upon the ball 66.

The said shafts are mounted in a fixed casing 65, and although they are parallel, they are not in line with each other.

To the driving shaft 63 are keyed two discs 66 and 61 between which is mounted in the first place a shaft 68 carrying a crank 66.

On the outer end of the crank 68 is mounted a journalfor a slider it having the form of a sector of a circle, which is slidable in the circular groove 12 formed in an eccentric disc it secured to' the driven shaft 66.

Upon the intermediate portion of shaft 68, is mounted, a cam-shaped member iii which is adapted for lengthwise displacement on the shaft 63, but will not rotate relatively to this latter a key slide connection being provided.

The said cam-shaped member is in contact with two rollers 16 and 36 mounted on the end of a fork l1 which is secured to a flywheel l8 keyed to a shaft 78 which is pivotally mounted on the discs 66 and 67.

The cam-shaped member i i comprises cam surfaces of suitable shape of the constant width type, and thus, whatever be the position of the cam-shaped member it with references to the said rollers or like rolling parts, such parts will always be in contact with the said cam-shaped member.

The member it carries an appendage ti] having an annular groove 62 in which is engaged a stud 83 mounted on the end of a rocking lever 84 which is pivoted, at about its middle part, on an axle 85 secured to the disc tit.

The other end of the lever dd carries a stud 66 which is engaged in a helical groove 811 formed in cylindrical piece 68 mounted on a shaft 66 which is located between the discs 56 and 57.

One end of the shaft 66 is connected by an elastic coupling 81 to an arm 92 having on its end a roller 93 which is urged by a spring (not shown) against a cam 64 secured to the casing of the apparatus in the fixed position.

The operation of the present constructional form of theapparatus is as follows:

When the driving shaft rotates, it will actuate the discs 66 and 61, and also the parts which are mounted between these latter. In consequence, the shaft 88 will be moved about the axis of the shaft 63. However, the shaft 68 is connected to the slider II which is engaged in the circular groove of the eccentric 13 mounted on the driven shaft 64. 4

It is thus evident that the lever 88 and the As the mechanical characteristics of the said flywheel have been properly determined, forces of inertia will be produced which are in opposition to the said movements of oscillation, and thus the rollers 15 and 16 will impart these forces of inertia to the cam-shaped member I4.

If no modification of the connection were provided, the total action of these forces of inertia would be null, and the driven shaft 64 would not be actuated, but in fact, during the rotation of the driving shaft 63, the arm 82 will turn about the cam 94 and will also oscillate.

This oscillation can be transmitted by the elastic coupling 9| to the shaft 89 and to the cylindrical piece 88, and this latter, owing to the helical groove 81, will effect, if the movement is possible, a pivoting of the lever 84 and thus a movement of translation of the cam-shaped member 14 along the shaft 68.

In consequence, the parts designated by the numerals 8! to 94 will constitute the distributer controlled by the cam-shaped member 64,

The alternate sliding movement of the camshaped member it upon the shaft 68 will effect the desired substitution of one cam surface for another, with reference to the rollers 15 and i6, and thus the action of the forces of inertia produced in the flvwheel i8 and exercised by the said rollers upon the cam-shaped member M, will cause a movement of the eccentric i3 and of the driven shaft 65 which is always in the same direction, and with a torque which is invfirsfily proportional to the speed of this driven s a The periodic substitution of one cam surface for another with reference to the rollers i5 and it should only take place when the said rollers are located on the circular concentric parts of the cam-shaped member M.

In fact, when the said rollers are not in contact with such a part, the sliding of the camshaped member upon the shaft 63 would require a considerable force, as it would be necessary to overcome the antagonistic forces of inertia of the said flywheel.

It is for this purpose that the elastic coupling 9!, which constitutes the controlling device is mounted between the arm 92 and the shaft 86.

If the fixed cam 94 should turn this arm 92, and if at this time the cone-shaped member should not be in a position in which one cam surface cannot-be substituted for another without effort, the elastic parts of the coupling will yield, while the parts, 83 to 89 of the directing device will remain in the fixed position, and it is only when the cam-shaped member has pivoted sufliciently and when the rollers 15 and I6 are in contact with the circular concentric part of its surface, that the parts of the distributor can come into action in order to provide for the necessary substitution of one cam surface for another.

When the said speed-changing mechanism is not automatic, its ratio of transmission canbe varied by changing the position of the fixed cam 84, by a movement of translation in its own plane, or by rotating it about the axis of the shaft 63, or by these two movements combined. This movement, which will not give rise to any difliculties of construction, can be effected for instance by the known speed-changing lever used upon motor vehicles, or by a handle or pedal.

It is evident that the apparatus shown in Figs.

8 and 9 will not afford an exactly regular driving torque upon the driven shaft 64, but a regularity which is practically sufficient can be obtained by mounting, between the discs 66 and 61, a certain number of cam-shaped members, each having itsown distributer. In this event, the groove 12 may contain several sliders II which are displaced in angular position, and thus the total torque produced upon the shaft 64 willbe practically continuous.

It is obvious that the said invention is not limitcd to the constructional forms herein described, and that without exceeding the limits of its general scope, a great number of other modifications may be employed which comprise practically the same groups of operative parts and serve the same purposes.

I claim:

1. A transmission mechanism comprising, in combination, a primary shaft, a secondary shaft, carrier means fixed to one of the shafts, a cam supporting shaft mounted on the carrier means, an arm fixed to the cam supporting shaft, a circular guide carried by the other shaft of the mechanism and eccentrically mounted relative to the said one shaft, a sliding element carried by the end of said arm and engaging in the guide, a cam carried by said cam supporting shaft and capable of sliding thereon, an inertia member carried by the carrier means, movable elements appliedagainst the cam and carried by said inertia member, and means for assuring a periodic sliding of the slidable cam on its supp o rting shaft.

2. A transmission mechanism comprising a primary shaft, a secondary shaft, platessolid with the primary shaft, a crank shaft carried by the plates, a crank arm solid with said shafts, a circular guide carried by the secondary shaft and eccentrically mounted relative to the primary shaft, a slideat the end of the crank arm engaged in said circular guide, a cam carried by said crank shaft and capable of sliding axially thereon, a fly-wheel pivotally mounted on the plates, members applied against the cam and carried by said fiy-wheel, and means for effecting the periodic sliding of the cam on the crank shaft. I

3. A transmission mechanism comprising .a primary shaft, a secondary shaft, plates solid with the primary shaft, a crank shaft carried by the plates, a crank arm solid with said crank shaft, a circular guide carried by the secondary shaft and eccentrically mounted relative to the primary shaft, a slide at the end of the crank arm engaged in said guide, an elongated cam carried by said crank shaft capable of axially sliding thereon, movable members connected to the plates and applied against the cam by alternative dynamic impulses, means for periodically sliding the cam for substituting one cam surface for the other in the path of travel of the movable members, means comprising a cam fixed in space, a finger carried by the plates and applied against said fixed cam, and connecting members between said finger and the slidable cam for transforming the alternative pivoting of the finger into an alternative sliding of the slidable cam.

4. A transmission mechanism comprising a primary shaft, a secondary shaft, plates solid with the primary shaft, a crank shaft carried by.the plates, a crank arm solid with said crank shaft, a circular guide carried by the secondary shaft and eccentrically mounted relative to theprimary shaft, a slide at the end of the crank arm engaged in said guide, an elongated cam carried by the crank shaft capable of axially sliding thereon, movable members connected to 'the plates and applied against the cam by alternative dynamic impulses, means for periodically sliding the slidable cam for substituting one cam surface for the other in the path of travel of the movable members, means comprising a cam fixed in space, fingers carried by the plates and applied against said fixed cam, a helical ramp driven by each finger, and a lever associated with part of said helical ramp and with the slidable cam for transforming the alternative pivoting of the finger into alternative sliding of the slidable earn.

5. A transmission mechanism comprising a primary shaft, a secondary shaft, plates solid with the primary shaft, a crank shaft carried by'the plates, a crank arm solid with said crank shaft, a circular guide carried by the secondary shaft and eccentrically mounted relative to the primary shaft, a slide at the end ofthe crank arm engaged in said guide, an elongated cam carried by said crank shaft capable of axially sliding thereon, the surface of said cam varying from one end to the other, movable members connected to the plates and applied against the cam by alternative dynamic impulses, means for periodically sliding the slidable cam for substituting one cam surface for the other in the path of travel of the movable members, means comprising a cam fixed in space, a finger carried by the plates and applied against said fixed cam, a helical ramp driven by each finger, a lever associated partly with the helical ramp and partly with the slidable cam for transforming the alternative pivoting of the finger into alternative sliding of the cam.

FRANCOIS MARIE MICHEL BERNARD SALOMON. 

